Where is the line between criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Semitism? Three groups critical of Israel had invited the Israeli historian Ilan Pappé for this Monday evening. The title of his lecture is: “Palestine – Israel: What next?”
Last Saturday, the sponsoring association of the “Trafo” community center, which is largely financed by the city, terminated the rental agreement for the hall out of concern that anti-Semitism could arise. The organizers went to court against this, and on Monday afternoon the district court granted them an interim injunction: the termination is void and the community center was obliged to make the hall available.
The reason for the cancellation of the hall is in short: The Trafo sponsoring association fears that the speaker or visitor will violate criminal laws, or that sentiment will be created against the Jewish population in Germany or that they will incite hatred. There are also fears that anti-Semitic stereotypes will be spread that evening.
Leo Agerer, vice-president of the Trafo Association and also CSU city councilor, says he only found out about the event on Friday. He justifies the termination in particular with a quote from a recent essay by Pappé on the Palestine conflict: “The picture is that of a colonized people fighting for their survival, while their oppressors have elected a government determined to bring about annihilation, yes “even to hasten the extinction of the Palestinian people – or even their claim to be a separate people. Hamas had to act, and it had to act quickly.” Pappé is director of the European Center for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter in England.
Angela Krause, spokeswoman for the Salam Shalom association, which organized the event with the Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group and “Women in Black”, explains that she was not familiar with the quote and also considers it “concerning”. When asked, Pappé stated that he did not support the Hamas actions, he was merely explaining them as an expert; he emphasized that he condemned the “atrocities” committed by Hamas. Krause says that when she rented the hall in mid-September, before the terrorist attack on Israel, she stated that the speaker was speaking “on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” based on the title of a corresponding cardboard book.
The district court issues an interim injunction
On Monday, the organizers applied through a lawyer to the district court for an injunction to force the event to take place. The organizers argue that the allegations in the cancellation are “absurd” and that it is more about criticism of the Israeli government’s policies by an internationally respected scientist. The district court agreed with them, reports the organizers’ lawyer; a court spokesman confirmed the decision. The reason for the termination was not sufficient, and the content of the lecture had been known since September.
However, “Munich is colorful” is still protesting against the event and fears that it will question Israel’s right to exist: “Any anti-Semitism endangers the security of Jewish life in Germany and is directed against the basic democratic values of the Federal Republic.”